Making the ASEAN Para Games accessible for all

In exactly one week, 3000 athletes and officials will be participating in the 8th ASEAN Para Games (APG) – the first to be hosted in Singapore.

While not as large scale as the SEA Games in terms of contingent size, the unique needs of each APG athlete means that organising logistics and ensuring accessibility for all involved remains a big challenge.

The Sports Hub was built to be accessible for people with disabilities with lifts and ramps conveniently located, but some changes still had to be made for the facilities that the athletes use.

The National Stadium will be one of the venues for the upcoming 8th ASEAN Para Games. Photo: Sport Singapore

Clarence Lam, Venue Manager for the Singapore National Stadium, said: “In terms of accessibility, we have done up ramps for the athletes that wasn't available at the national stadium before.”

“We also try to remove humps on the road to allow them a smoother passageway for all these athletes.”

Beyond that, they had to indent more portable toilets for people with disabilities so as to take care of the athletes' hygiene needs. Certain adjustments also had to be made to toilet doors so athletes can access them without any difficulty.

“We have also removed toilet doors that swing inwards towards them, so as to ease their movements in and out of doors,” he said.

No detail big or small was overlooked and no effort was spared to ensure to ensure a safe and accessible APG for everyone.

Venue Manager for OCBC Arena, Ramasess Ramakrishnan, paid careful attention to even the small details when setting up the venue as the safety of athletes and fans were their top priority.

The Venue Manager for OCBC Arena, Ramasess Ramakrishnan, has gone to great lengths to ensure that the venue is safe and accessible for all come Games time. Photo: Sport Singapore

“Primarily, its the cabling works that would usually trip someone over. What we have done at OCBC Arena is that we have run it in such a way that, though it's a longer distance you have to run the cable, it avoids as much as possible most of the walkways,” he said.

“Where we can't avoid, the cable trays that we place on the floor, we make it more sloped. So you don't get a squarish trunking but get a half-moon trunking. It is circular, so it's easier for you to go over it if you are in a wheelchair.”